My Forbidden Story
by Terra Nympha Dryadis
Summary: Hiei found a girl or rather, she found him, and thus started their relationship. They were even SD together. Now, many years later, after a long separation, will they still remember each other? Or will they be forced to live without love for all eternity?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, y'all!! First off, I would like to grudgingly admit that I do not own any of these these anime charaters or the awesome shows that they come from. However, that is not going to stop me from glomping on Hiei. He's just so cute and dark!! And, he's taller than me, which is a turn-on. But, that is besides the point.**

Secondly, the plot is totally mine, and so is Ka'el, even though I hate him.

Secondly(or thirdly if you're keeping track X-D), Hiei will be majorly out of character, for a couple chapters.

And last, but not least, plz enjoy!!! (Super sorry that it's taking so long to freaking type!!!)

P.S. I changed their ages, Hiei is now thirteen, Kagome is ten and a half.

**"Blah"Talking  
'Blah'Thinking  
blahKagome/Ember telepathy  
$Blah$Hiei/Flame telepathy**  
_**Dream Sequence**_

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A brown rabbit gently nibbled on a blade of grass while a bird chirped merrily in a tree. A fawn wandered into the glade and joined the rabbit. Four or five butterflies flew this way and that, in a pattern that made sence only to them. The bright afternoon sun shine happily lit the area, warming all the little creatures.

Fat, white, fluffy clouds lazily floated in front of the sun, mometarily blocking the light as a gentle breeze blew. Sakura blossoms fluttered to the ground on the wings of the wind, littering the floor of the forest. If someone were to describe this cheery little scene, they might use the word 'paradise.' They couldn't be more wrong.

Lying not to far from the rabbit and the fawn was a boy. At first glance, a bystander would think that he was resting, enjoying the rare moment of peace that nature brought. Upon closer inspection, the bystander would see that this is not the case. The boy's arms and legs held many cuts and bruises, as well as a few burns and old scars on his chest. His clothes were hopelessly shredded, save for a loin cloth.

If anyone dared to venture closer, they might be able to see the weak up-and-down motion of his chest as blood freely flowed with each shallow breath. His pitch black hair was matted down with blood, his eyes were closed, and he held a sword in a death grip in his right hand. The sword had a black hilt six inches long. In the hilt were a big ruby, a silver indentation, and a big sapphire. The blade itself was two feet long and completely covered in blood.

The boy was well muscled, but not freakishly so. He had a rather lean physique, and was shorter than the average boy his age, but he was well proportioned nonetheless. In other words, he didn't look like a freak. His face revealed him to be a handsome, one who, if he lived, would be sure to break many hearts. He had small, almost invisible markings the undersides of his wrists, but no one knew what these meant.

Another breeze blew past the young boy's sensitive nose, cuasing his hand to tighten even more on the hilt. Suddenly, a scream cut through the peace like a hot knife through butter. The fawn and the rabbit raised their heads as the bird stopped singing. The boy's eyes snapped open when, a few seconds later, a young girl raced into the clearing, screaming again.

She was small for her age, and didn't really care. Hair bluer than a Colorado sky flowed like water behind her as she ran. Her kimono was in rags, but covered the neccesary areas. It was pink and a soft orange, with scattered, light blue, musical notes. She was petite and had stormy grey eyes. Her hands had claws, but in her fright, she had forgotten how to use them. Panicing, the beautiful girl looked behind her as she ran, causing her feet to stumble and give way.

Shaking her head to clear her eyes, she caught sight of the injured boy. Quickly she crawled over to him, oblivious to the shocked look he was sending her, and completely forgetting about whatever it was that she was running from.

"Oh, you poor boy! what happened to you? Just lie still and I'll try to heal you," she whispered, knowing deep down in her gut that he could her her and would listen. She put her hands over his chest, a few inches away from the skin. Her hands began to glow a soft pink, and his body followed suit as she lowered her hands.

After what seemed like hours, but what was really only five seconds, he stopped glowing as she withdrew her hands, panting slightly. She sat back and smiled at her handiwork. He flexed his left arm, and was surprised to find it completely healed. Turning to her, he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

Crashing through the trees into the meadow, was the...thing...he had smelled earlier. Quickly standing up, he held up his sword and stood in front of the girl. He could tell by the look in her eyes, and by her scent, that this ugly demon was what had had her screaming a few seconds ago.

The Youkai(that's gonna be it's name) was about seven feet tall, and not only was he ugly, but he was also very **fat.** He had puke green, scaly skin, beady black eyes, foot long claws, and tentacles for feet. On his head were multiple horns of varying size and shape. All in all, he looked like a youkai mix-and-match puzzle gone totally wrong.

"Ah, what have we here?" Youkai asked, laughing in a deep voice. "Two young youkai, perfectly aged for eating! Or, perhaps I should sell you into slavery and get paid for my troubles. Oh the many possibilities we have here!"

"You really should stop talking. It only tends to prove that you're a moron," growled the boy(that's gonna be his name for now).

Youkai growled and cracked his knuckles, glaring daggers at Boy. "What did you just say to me, squirt?!"

Boy merely glared back in kind. "Hn."

Youkai grinned. "Tell you what, little brave one. I'll let that little comment slide, if you just hand over the girl behind you peacefully," he said, pointing at the girl(that's her name for now). She let out a small, involuntary whimper and cast fearful eyes to her 'protector.' Boy saw this and turned back to the big youkai before them, smirking.

Changing his grip on the hilt of his sword, he took up a battle ready stance. "Hn, I don't think so, Ugly!"

Youkai's grin faded. "Why you little... So be it! I'll kill the both of you!!" And with that, Youkai chraged at Boy.

Boy disappeared, causing Girl to scream. Moments later, Boy reappeared behind Youkai and snickered. Youkai's eyes widened as he fell into little cubes at Boy's feet. Girl gasped and ran to Boy. He was rather surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"Oh no, you're hurt again!" she said, taking his hand in hers. Once again, they began to glow, startling him once more. When she was done, she looked up at him and smiled. Looking closely, she could see a small pink stain on his cheeks. Then, as soon as she saw it, the stain disappeared, so she decided to ignore it.

"Why?"

Startled from her thoughts, she looked into his his eyes, feeling her breath catch as she did so. His eyes were a bloody, crimson red, and they held confusion and amazement from what she could tell. She mentally shook her head. "What did you say?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. Opening them again, he saw that she had tilted her head to one side. Shaking his head, he asked, "Why? Why would you heal a complete stranger, when they could easily kill you once they were healed?"

She thought this over before answering carefully. "I knew that you weren't going to hurt me. I tursted you."

He felt his eyes widen and his breathing catch from pure shock. "Why would you trust me?! You have no reason to do so!!"

She giggled, and he suddenly had a vision of an angel flying through his head. "Becasue you're so darn cute!!!" she exclaimed, failing to notice his face reddening at this comment. "And, because you were hurt, just like me," she added in a whisper, her eyes glazing over.

He just stared at her incredulously. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm 10 1/2. How about you, um..."

Smirking in his mind, he said, "Hiei. I'm 13. There, I gave you my name, now you give me yours." As he said this, he turned his head the other way, feigning indifference.

"Impatient, aren't you?" she asked, frowning. She simply shrugged. "My name is Kagome. ...Um, Hiei?"

He merely glanced at her, pretending not to care. "Hn?"

"You're my friend, right?" ahe asked, her voice shaking.

Shrugging, he looked away again, rather pleased. "I guess. Although, not many people would ever want to be a friend of mine."

"Well, um, could you please catch me?" she asked as she fell backwards, into a patch of small flowers.

Before she could land, Hiei caught her, worry shining through his crimson orbs. Picking her up, he was mildly surprised by how light she was. Only then did he notice the blood seeping from the many cuts on her back, and was surprised that she hadn't lapsed into unconciousness earlier. Putting his sword back into its sheath, he took off running towards his only other friend; a taijiya by the name of Kohaku.

Unconciously, Kagome snuggled closer to his chest, his beating heart lulling her into a peaceful state. Hiei's arms tightened their hold on the girl, surprising him that he had no control of his body's reactions. He looked down at her as a miniscule smile made its way to his face.

After running nonstop for an hour, Hiei skidded into Kohaku's hut in the middle of the taijiya village. Kohaku merely took a quick glance at the girl before motioning to the bed. Hiei put her down as Kohaku left the hut. Hiei made to follow him, but a hand held him back. Looking down at Kagome, he was surprised to see that her face had a troubled look on it, and her hand had a death grip on the back of his loin cloth.

Just then, Kohaku came back in with his older sister Sango and Kaede, the visiting miko. The women blushed at the sight of Hiei's undress, but Kohaku quickly threw him a long black cape, which he gladly put on. Sango made her way to the girl, and giggled when she wouldn't let go of Hiei. Hiei growled at Sango, who just laughed harder.

Kagome, hearing Hiei growl, surprised them all by letting go of him. Kaede smiled softly at the touching scene and ushered the boys out of the hut. The boys decided to pass the time by sparring, but after three hours, Hiei was practicing on his own. Kohaku just sat and watched him.

Kohaku was a human boy, about 10 years of age. He wa much taller than Hiei, and had dark brown hair in a short ponytail. his brown eyes were glazed over ni thought, as they almost always were. Kohaku was very strong, due to the weightedaromor all taijiya were required to constantly wear. It's green hue signified that he was still a novice; his sister's was a light pink, which signified tht she was an apprentice, and able to help the older taijiya on their missions.

He idly scratched one of his many freckles as Hiei stopped his practicing. "You know, friend, you really should go wash in the river. I can smell the blood from here, so it **must** be nausiating for you."

Hiei glanced at him, and tried to run a hand through his hair. When he found that it was all stuck together with dried blood, he scowled. With a quick 'Hn,' he disappeared. Kohaku grinned and shook his head back and forth. Five minutes later, just as a steaming Hiei got back from the river, Sango and Kaede emerged from the hut. Sango began speaking first.

"We have good news and bad news." At their blank stares, she continued. "Kaede and I have managed to stop the bleeding and heal her wounds. However..." Sango stopped and looked over at the miko.

Kaede cleared her throat. "We've tried everything that we can think of, but she seems...rather unwilling...to wake up. You **may** go in and see her if you wish."

Sango and Kohaku grinned at each other. Before Kaede had even finished speaking, Hiei had made his way past them, through the door. The miko simply rolled her eye and huffed. She walked into a hut that she was using, muttering about the impatience of demons. Sango picked up Hiraikotsu and Kirara, and headed off into the forest to train. Kohaku, well, no one seems to ever know what he's up to.

Hiei found himself inexplicably by Kagome's bedside. His hand moved to sweep hair out of her face, and surprising himself yet again, he made no attempt to stop it. After moving her hair aside, he noticed her brow was covered with sweat as she was shaking uncontrollably.

Placing a hand gently on either side of her head, he put his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. He began to 'see' her nightmare, which was so vived, brutal, and fresh that he was brought to his knees as he cried out in her now shared pain.

_+ Kagome's Dream +_

A small girl was chained to a wall, completely in the nude. Her head hung limply as she longingly gazed at a glass of water just out of her reach. There were multiple lashes across her body, as if someone had taken a cat-o-nine-tails to her tiny body. Grime and sweat covered her face, only remotely clean where her tears had streamed down her cheeks. Suddenly, a door opened and a fire hanyou stepped into the small, dark, dank cell.

He was grinning like a child who had done something right and gotten a huge reward. However, his eyes held an evil gleam, making Hiei growl in anger. Kagome whimpered and tried to scoot as far away as possible, which wasn't all that far. The hanyou chuckled.

"Now, now, my pet. Is that any way to greet your master?"

Kagome gulped. "G-good morning, Master."

He nodded, closing his eyes. "That's better. Well, seeing as how you're no longer of any use to me, I've decided to set your filthy little life form free."

Her grey eyes, which had closed during her greeting, flew open wide at the man's last words. "Master, are you truly going to let me go?" she asked as her shackles opened. She gently rubbed her raw wrists.

Suddenly, the scene changed. The girl was mostly healed save for the deep lacerations on her wrists and ankles. She was humming happily to herself as she picked a bunch of flowers. She stood, brushed off her kimono, and moved to go inside a nearby hut. Suddenly, Hiei was beside her. She gaped at him while he just blinked at her.

"Hiei?! How in the three worlds did you get into my dream?" (Kagome knows about Makai, Ningenkai, and Reikai, and Hiei doesn't.)

_"Honestly, onna? I have no fucking idea. I was holding your head, and suddenly I'm watching you greet a stinking hanyou as 'Master.' Who the fuck was that bastard, anyway?"_

Kagome looked down, ashamed. "He...he is my older half brother. He has hated me since before I was born."

Hiei gaped. "Why?! Why would your sibling hate you?!"

"Because," she answered quietly, "his father, a very powerful fire apparition, mated with my mother, a gentle yet equally powerful ice apparition, while his mother was still on her deathbed."

"So, he hates you because of what his father did?" asked Hiei, eyes wide at the small tidbit of information she had just revealed. 'I can't believe it! She's a Forbidden, just like me!'

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a small hand waving in front of his nose. He quickly caught it, brought it to his mouth, and gently nipped the back, smirking 'evilly' all the while. Kagome's eyes went wide, but she quickly giggled, until she heard Hiei ask her a question.

"So, which are you more prone to use: your fire, or your ice?"

She gasped. "I can't believe that I let that slip! Oh, you're not going to try to kill me just like everyone else, are you? Please, please don't! I'll leave as soon as possible. I'll seclude myself, just please don't kill me!!!" She was sobbing, big fat tears soaking into Hiei's cape.

Hiei grabbed her, pulling her in for a big bear hug. He smoothed down her hair, murmuring words of encouragement and consolation to her to try and calm her down. "Hey, don't do that! I'm not going to kill you!"

"Y-you're not? You promise?...Wait, why not?"

"Why would I kill someone just like me? You're not the only fire-and-ice Forbidden, y'know. Although, I'm going to let you in on my little secret: I haven't told anyone else, but I'm also a monk."

Kagome pulled away with an astounded look. She quickly got a sly look. "You asked earlier, what am I more prone to use, fire or ice? Well, the answer is...my miko powers. And you're the first person, human or youkai, that I've told. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine. Deal?"

Hiei smiled. "Deal, on two conditions." When she just blinked, he continued. "One, you wake up so we can get out of here, and two, don't get withdrawn around the people."

Kagome tilted her head and frowned, and for some reason, Hiei thought she looked rather cute. "What people, Hiei?"

"Well, you passed out in that clearing, and you were bleeding really bad. I don't really use my monk powers, so I can't heal much of anything with them. That being the case, I took you to one of my 'friends,' and his sister, along with a miko, healed you. Except for the miko, they are all taijiya. This is the last surviving village."

"Oh, okay. Cool! Well, shall we wake up? I have to go home soon, but I'm sure okaa-san won't mind if I stay away for a few more days. I only ask that you don't follow me when I do go home."

Hiei looked at her strangely, but he agreed nevertheless. The children closed their eyes, and left the dream world.

+ Back In The Real World +

Kohaku and Sango walked into the hut just as the children began to wake up. They gently smiled and walked out of the hut, not wanting to disturb them. After two days of sleep, it would take them a small while to truely wake up.

Sometime during thse two days, someone had picked up Hiei and placed him next to Kagome, who had then proceeded to grab him like a favorite toy. In his unconscious state, he had thrown an arm around her shoulders. The two were snuggled close together underneath their blanket, small smiles on their faces.

Kagome blinked a couple times, getting the sleep out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and smelled sulfar, sweat, and orchids. A small grunt made her eyes snap open wide. As she looked up, her grey eyes met with Hiei's red ones, which seemed to light up in amusement as her face did a very good impression of a rather large tomato.

Hiei had opened his eyes in time to see Kohaku and Sango walk in and leave again. He tried to get up, but found an arm stopping him. He releaxed when he saw who was attached and sniffed her scent. What he smelled made him give a small grunt of pleasure: Burning wood, fresh water, and Sakura blossoms. He saw her freeze and look at him, blushing, causing his mind to laugh merrily.

"Do I amuse you, onna?"

A small frown appeared on her face as she answered. "Monkeys always amuse me."

"Hn. Who are you calling a monkey?!"

She shrugged. "If you give me a better nickname than 'onna,' I won't call you a monkey."

Hiei did some quick thinking and replied a few seconds later with, "How about...Ember?"

Kagome looked at him, blinking. She thought it over for about a minute, and decided that, as long as it come from him in kindness, even 'bitch' would have been acceptable. Smiling, Kagome lost herself in Hiei's embrace, his heartbeat, and his curious eyes. "Ember will be perfect, Flame."

He blinked and grinned, a small blush coming unbidden to his cheeks. "Flame, huh? Yeah, I guess it works. In fact, that's my name now, so don't let anyone call me Hiei. You're the only one that knows, so let's keep it that way."

Kagome put on a depressed front, sighing. "Fine. Oh, and the same thing goes for me, okay? And please don't mention my real name; I don't want my brother to know that I'm still alive."

"As you wish. Are you hungry?" Hiei asked, his eyes softening. He loved looking at her eyes, they were like dual snowstorms in winter.

She shook her head. "No, not really." Even as she spoke, the smell of roasting meat wafted through the room, making her stomache rumble and her face get redder than Hiei's eyes.

Hiei chuckled and got up, carrying Kagome like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. He quickly cleared his face of all emotion and walked out, listening to her quietly commenting on how strong he was.

Hey, Hiei, you don't talk much, do you?

Jumping slightly at the intruding voice in his mind, he heard Kagome giggle, and once again thought that she sounded like an angel. $No, Ember, I don't talk much...out loud. But now that I know that you have telepathic abilities, I will be delighted to hold a good, and interesting, conversation mentally. Provided that you call me Flame, no matter what.$

Kagome grinned. Flame, it's a deal, if you help train my fire powers.

$Done. We'll start once you get back from your home.$

Thank you Flame. Thank you so much. And with that, Kagome worked her way off of his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Giggling, she skipped the rest of the way to the bonfire and roasting meat. Hiei snapped out of his daze and quickly followed, not skipping, of course. Grinning to himself, he was looking forward to training the younger girl in the near future.

Kaede stood and greeted the children. "Did ye have a good rest, young lady?"

Kagome smiled up at the older woman. "Yes, I did. Thank you for healing me, Miko-sama. My name is Ember."

"Do ye have a last name, child?"

Ember reopened her mind-link with Flame (Yes, I switched their names already, remember that:-p). Flame, do I have to give them a last name _now_? And did you even give them a name at all?

$Hn. Nope. And I don't have a last name yet, either. We are allowed to choose them whenever we want.$

I know. I was just curiously asking. Ember once again spoke to the waiting miko. "No, Miko-sama. I do not yet have a last name as of this point in time."

"Call me Kaede, child. I didn't really expect you to have a last name yet, anyway. Well, I must go. I hope that you and your friend enjoy the food, Ember."

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**Well, I think I'll leave it at that for a bit. Updates are going to be rather hard because my brother is always on here and I'm not allowed to have anything to do with fanfiction whatsoever. I'll try to add more to it later, though, I promise.**

I think that it would be so much cooler if demons could choose their own last names, because then the names would have some meaning for them. Not only that, but they would be unique. If you don't like, then tough cookies!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everybody, I'm back!!! Sorry that it took so long to update, but I haven't been feeling well lately. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy.**

**Gcdv: In answer to your questions, yes her brother thinks that she's dead, I'll reveal what he did with her later, and I'll try for a K/B.**

Shessy-luver: Yes, Kagome is still going to have the Shikon. I'm not sure about Inuyasha yet, but I think I'll have that part of the story go as normal as possible, with him choosing Kikyo in the end. I'm still trying to work it in though, so if you have any ideas, let me know. 

**To everyone else: Thank you so much for reviewing. It means a lot to me. I hope that I can make this fun and funny for all of you. And, if you have any ideas as to outfits that any of them can wear, let me know and I'll throw it in, with proper recognition and thanks. Here's the second half of the first chapter.**

**BlahEmber telepathy**

**$Blah$Flame telepathy**

_ Last Time _

"Call me Kaede, child. I didn't really expect you to have a last name yet, anyway. Well, I must go. I hope that you and your friend enjoy the food, Ember."

This Time

Ember bowed and began walking towards the food. After a couple steps, she stopped and looked back. "Coming Flame?"

He nodded and walked beside her. Sango and Kohaku saw them walking and waved them over to sit with them. When they reached them, Sango smiled.

"Hello. My name is Sango. I helped Kaede heal you. What's your name?"

"Ch. Ember. Thank you for healing me, Sango. I greatly appreciate it." She turned to Kohaku. "And thank you for letting Flame and I use your hut, taijiya-sama."

Kohaku scratched the back of his head while blushing. "Call me Kohaku, Ember. I am at your service."

Sango and Flame stared at the boy like he had grown a second head, which caused him to blush even harder. Ember giggled, noticing the blush.

"Well, thank you Kohaku, but that won't be necessary. I have no need for servants." Seeing his crest-fallen look, she added, "But I could always use a friend."

The young lad grinned and nodded his head vigorously. Sango, Flame and Ember all just kind of rolled their eyes. The four of them got their food, sat down on their log by the fire, and began to eat.

When they finished eating, Sango showed Flame and Ember to a hut that they could use. As soon as she left the hut, they noticed that there was only one bed. Ember frowned at it before turning to Flame.

"You can have the bed. I prefer to sleep in the high branches of the trees."

"Hn. I was about to say the exact same thing."

So let's go tell them that we don't need hut. And by the way, I leave for home tomorrow.

The children began walking. $I promise that I won't follow you to your home. How long will you be gone for, anyway?$

Hopefully, if all goes well, about a week. Why do you ask?

$Well, when you get back, don't come back to this village. Do you know of the waterfall to the northwest of here?$

Are you kidding?! That's what every girl thinks of when they think of paradise. I picture it whenever I get really, really angry. It's my 'happy place.' Ember grinned.

$I'm glad you think so highly of my home.$ Flame rolled his eyes at her. $Well, when you do get back, go there. That is where we'll train. If you want, I'll teach you swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat as well.$ At this point, he was blushing.

Ember was blushing too, so she didn't notice. They reached Sango and informed her that they would prefer to sleep in the trees. She merely shrugged and said that it was their choice. Upon hearing this, Flame grabbed Ember around the waist, and before she could protest, he jumped very high into the nearest tree.

They continued their conversation while they got comfortable. After all, Flame was not used to having a squirming girl in his lap, and Ember wasn't used to being held like this by a non-family member.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, everyone. I know I haven't updated in a while, and, I'm sorry. I really don't have a good excuse other than lack of motivation. Enjoy the chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it!**

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Kagome woke at the break of dawn and was pleased to find herself unhindered. She jumped to the ground and proceeded to run to the southeast, towards Inuyasha's Forest. She came across a clearing with an old wooden well in the middle of it. Instead of veering around it, she ran straight for it and jumped in. A bright blue light erupted from the depths, but quickly disappeared, the only sign that she had ever been there.

When she landed, she quickly muttered. "Become human," under her breath, causing her appearance to change. Her eyes turned from grey to a light purple, and her hair turned blacker than a rave at midnight. Her claws shortened to look like nails as she felt her fangs shorten as well. What little strength she had disappeared as she grew a couple inches. In all honesty, Kagome hated her human guise, but knew that it was only to protect her.

Looking up, she saw the inside of a small wooden shack. She climbed out of the well using a ladder her mother had put there for that very reason and walked up to the doors. The strong, putrid smell of pollution reached her now human nose, and still she visibly cringed. Just then, the door flew open and an old man stood in front of her, with an eight-year old boy attached to his leg. They both smiled at her, which made her smile in return.

"Morning Jii-chan. Morning Souta. How have the last three months been to the both of you?" Kagome asked kindly.

Souta merely smiled wider, showing off three missing teeth. Jii-chan chuckled and led his only two grandchildren inside the house.

As Kagome followed Jii-chan, her smile fell. 'Okaa-san won't take the news well. Hell, I was _there_ and I'm not taking it well. Hopefully, she'll still let me go back and train with Hiei…I mean Flame. She'll be glad that I found someone like me, who can train me as well. I just hope that, one day soon, we can all go back home. We don't belong here in the future,' she thought.

Souta skipped around his older sister, anxious to hear about her most recent adventures. He was an eight-year old ice apparition hanyou who looked completely human, except for his ice blue eyes. He had short brown hair, no fangs, and no claws. However, unlike most hanyous, Souta was loved and accepted for _who_ he was, not _what_ he was.

Jii-chan had very little hair, and what hair he _did_ have was so grey, it looked like spun silver. He was missing a couple teeth as well, but he either didn't notice, or he didn't care. Standing at six foot two inches, he could be extremely intimidating when he wanted to be. Every once in a while, he would look at Kagome, throw slips of paper at her, and yell, "Demon, be gone!" This would often result in Kagome's mother, Saiyou, yelling at him and making him sweep the shrine steps; all three hundred and eighty-four of them!

Saiyou was a beautiful ice apparition who had been thrown out of her tribe because of an affair she had with a fire apparition. She had light green hair that was rather short and wavy, but it was long enough to cover her face from just above her right eye to below her left ear. Her eyes were grey, like her daughter. Unlike her daughter, she had two pink stripes on each cheek, under the eye to accent it. In her right ear was a long chain earring, and on the end was a multicolored sunburst.

Currently, Saiyou was making breakfast. She was wearing a pink apron that said, "Eat it or else!" underneath a big, evil smiley face. Hearing the door slide open, she put down the plates she had and went to greet those who had just walked in. She broke into the world's biggest and best motherly smile when she saw Kagome. "Oh, my baby is home at last! Did you make any friends this time, Sweetie?"

Kagome's eyes glazed over. "Yeah. His name is Flame. And guess what! He's a Forbidden child too! He said he would train me. He gave me a real nickname: Ember." Sighing in content, she hugged her okaa-san.

Saiyou smiled at the dazed look on her daughter's face. "Well, if you want, we can all call you Ember. Would you like that, my musume?" Kagome's face lit up and Saiyou laughed. "Alright, Ember. Calm down. How was your otou-san? Was he well?"

Ember's face fell as tears began to form in her eyes. Her breathing hitched. "Oh, okaa-san! He killed him! That pathetic excuse for a hanyou killed otou-san!" she wailed.

Saiyou gasped and hugged Ember close. "Is that why you were gone for three months? That bastard used you as a slave, didn't he!"

Ember (Kagome) nodded and hung her head. Jii-chan picked up Souta and carried him outside, leaving mother and daughter alone to grieve. "Oh, Mama!" cried Ember. "I'm so sorry! I tried to help Papa! But _he_ had put a spell on Papa, so that I couldn't heal him. When I tried, it only killed him faster."

Saiyou pulled away and looked at her only daughter. What she saw made her gasp in alarm. "Ember, your tears…they're all different! How is this possible! Ice apparitions only cry one kind of gem, and fire apparitions only cry tears. You're crying pearls, gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and…is that platinum!"

Ember's face hardened with her new resolve. "Mama, you have to let me go back. _He_ thinks I'm dead, and Flame _did_ promise to train me. Not just in fire, either. Swordsmanship and martial arts, as well. Please let me go back, if only to become stronger so that I won't cry like this anymore! Please!"

Saiyou looked into her daughter's eyes, saw determination and a hint of something else, and gasped. Sighing, she said, "I can't really stop you, can I? There would be no point. How long until you return, Ember?"

Smiling, ember replied, "One week. I don't know when I'll come back home, but please don't worry. I'll keep in touch with you, somehow. Maybe I'll even bring Flame home for Christmas!"

Saiyou giggled at the look on her daughter's face. She gave her another hug, picked up all the valuable tear-drops-turned-priceless-gems, and opened the door to call the boys inside for breakfast. It was slightly cold, but since they were all part ice element, save for Jii-chan, they didn't really care.

Breakfast was full of cheerful talk and playful banter. If anyone were to look in on them, they would see a well functioning family having the time of their lives. What the onlooker wouldn't know was that the mother, brother, and grandfather were all getting very depressed at the thought of never seeing Ember/Kagome again. The onlooker also would no know that the girl was feeling regret for allowing a member of her family to die in front of her eyes. Such is the sight that greets our mystery onlooker, who happens to be non-existent.

"Oh, Ember, guess what?" sang Saiyou, excited at having good news for her daughter. "A family is moving in next door tomorrow. Well, actually, it's just a mother and her son. He's about your age, and he has a six hundred year-old kitsune soul residing in his body. If you want, you can tell him about the well, but don't tell him that we used to live on the other side. Okay?"

"Okay Mama, as long as you tell them that my name is Ember, and that it's normal for me to miss school, and that I'm not some chronically sick girl who's likely to keel over if someone breathes on me. By the way, what's the boy's name?"

Souta bounced up and down in his chair. "His name is Shuichi Minamino." He lowered his voice and leaned over, as if he were telling a huge secret. "He looks like a girl!"

Ember looked at her mother. "On second thought, just tell them my name is Ember and that I'm going to a private school in America, or something like that."

Jii-chan looked down his nose at her with a playful frown. "Are you sure you're only ten and a half? You're acting like you're sixteen."

Everyone had a good laugh. Suddenly, Saiyou gasped, causing everyone to turn to her in alarm. Ember frowned when everything appeared to be alright. "What's wrong, Mama?"

Saiyou shook her head at her own silliness. "I just remembered that I have to tell Koenma that you'll be in the past for an extended amount of time, or he'll send his Spirit Detectives out here." She looked thoughtful for a second. "Would you like to come with me, Ember?"

Ember began bouncing up and down in her seat. "Can I can I can I, please please please please please please please! That would be _so_ cool! Does he really look like a baby? Hahaha, I've gotta see that!"

Saiyou merely rolled her eyes at her child's eagerness. "Finish your food, then go upstairs and change. We'll leave in an hour. Souta, I'm leaving you to watch over Jii-chan and keep him company, okay?"

Souta enthusiastically, vigorously nodded his head, making everyone laugh yet again. Ember quickly finished her breakfast and put her dirty dishes in the sink before heading upstairs to change into something a little less formal.

She opened the door to her room and sighed. It looked perfect, reminding her of Flame. The walls were a mixture of orange, yellow, and res, looking very much like a liquid flame. The ceiling and baseboards were black, as were the doors. The sheets on her bed had flames stitched around the edges and flaming arrows crossing underneath a skull in the middle. Her bed frame, dresser, and floors were all a light brown.

Going over to her dresser, Ember pulled out fresh under garments. Next, she went to her closet and pulled out a black tank top with red glitter flames, and a pair of white shorts. She went into her bathroom and changed, noticing that both black and white looked great on her bronzed skin. Once back in her room, she put her hair up in a high ponytail and put red glitter around her eyes. She put a new pair of flip-flops on, and looked in the mirror. Nodding her head, she approved of the look. Her mother knocked and opened the door.

"Oh, Ember, you look so cute! Let me get a picture!" Saiyou squealed, running to get a camera. She came back quickly and snapped a picture, causing Ember to go temporarily blind. Saiyou sighed happily. "Well, are you ready to go, honey?"

Ember nodded vigorously, making Saiyou laugh. Reaching into an apron pocket, Saiyou pulled out a compact. Ember looked at it, confused, until her mother saw her and explained.

"I used to be a Spirit Detective. Once a detective, always a detective. This lets me get a hold of Lady Death. She likes to be called Botan. We need her to make us a portal to Koenma."

Opening up the compact, Ember saw a lady in a bright pink kimono and cotton candy blue hair appear on the screen.

"Botan here!" Botan saw Ember's face and slightly panicked. "Hey, who are you!"

Saiyou giggled at her friend. "Yo, Botan! Over here! There you go. Don't worry. That was Ember, my little girl. Think you can do a favor for an old friend?"

"_Old_ friend indeed! How did you manage to live so far into the future?"

"It's a rather long story. If you could make us a portal to Koenma, I'd be glad to share it with you." Seeing slight hesitation, Saiyou made her eyes get real big and watery. "Pretty please with sugar on top, and chocolate sprinkles too!"

Botan laughed. "Alright, alright. Darn puppy eyes, they get me every time. See you soon."

"Ciao." And with that, Saiyou closed the compact. She looked down at her daughter and grinned. "Hopefully, Koenma hasn't permanently changed into his teenage form yet. It's fun to make him mad!"

"Can I do it, Mama? Can I make Koenma mad? Please?" Ember put on the same face that her mother had _just_ used on the grim reaper, just as said reaper appeared on her oar.

"Wow, Sai. You teach your children well! It's kinda eerie though, don't you think?"

Ember looked at Botan, and stumbled back in surprise. Botan and Saiyou giggled like high school girls. Ember just pointed at Botan as her jaw dropped. Women were **not** supposed to fly on wooden oars! Saiyou rolled her eyes at Ember's reaction. Botan watched curiously, trying to hide a smile with her kimono.

"Ember, dear, you're catching flies in that cave you call a mouth. Now, are you ready to go?" Saiyou asked.

"Huh? What…wait Mama! You never answered my question. Can I _**please**_ make him mad?"

"Why don't you watch me make him angry first, that way, you'll be able to make him angry later. Okay?"

Ember closed her eyes and nodded, reminding the two older women of a certain young monk. Opening her eyes again, she smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Okay, let's go!"

Botan shook her head and smiled at the little girl's antics, before opening up a blue portal, straight to Koenma's office. Saiyou took Ember's hand and pulled them through, with Botan flying in right behind them.

On the other side of the portal, a pint-sized child was busy stamping papers. He had on a large blue hat with a pink trim; it was almost as tall as he was! It had the symbol for 'Junior' on it. In his mouth was a round blue pacifier, and he was sucking on it rather nervously. He had on tan pants and a blue jacket-like shirt thing, and he was sitting in a large chair in front of a large desk. Though he most definitely didn't look it, Koenma was actually 584. A blue ogre, wearing a leopard print loin cloth, came in with a pile of papers and set them down on the desk. He quickly ran back out, not wanting to get yelled at. Koenma sighed and pulled the stack closer, completely oblivious to the three people now standing before him. Just as he was about to pick up his stamp again, a voice halted him.

"Yo Toddler! Long time, no see! How've ya been?"

Looking up, he saw a small girl who looked like she was trying hard not to laugh, a smirking Grim Reaper, and an old SD, whom he hadn't seen in 511 years. All three were looking at him with mirth in their eyes as he put down his stamp. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He had almost succeeded when a small voice sent him over the edge.

"Hey, Toddler, Mama asked you a question! If I were you, I'd answer her," Ember stated, somewhat smugly.

Steam shot out of the tiny ruler's ears as he jumped to stand on top of his desk. "I. AM NOT. A TODDLER!" he screamed in his fury.

Ember burst out laughing, clutching at her sides. Tears rolled down her cheeks, landing with a soft 'plink plink' on the floor. Botan and Koenma stared in shock. Saiyou looked on in mild curiosity as her daughter tried to speak. "Mama, you…you said it's fun to make him mad. You…You didn't say it would be absolutely hilarious to watch! That was totally wicked!"

"Ember, calm down. Remember your tears, and what we came here for," Saiyou quietly admonished.

Ember sobered up immediately, wiping away her tears and pulling an emotionless mask onto her features. Saiyou faced her old boss, determination the foremost emotion in her grey eyes. Botan sat down on the desk, anxious to hear the tale of her old friend. Koenma sat back down in his chair before calling in the blue ogre and telling him to fetch three more chairs. He didn't want Botan sitting on his desk.

"Koenma," started Saiyou, once everyone was situated, "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Kagome, who will be known as Ember. Do you remember 511 years ago when the Council of Ice threw me out of the tribe because I refused to leave my mate or kill the child that I had with him?"

Koenma nodded. "Vaguely, yes. Please, continue."

"Well, my mate was a powerful fire apparition, and the child was my musume. My mate, Sako, took us to live with him and his hanyou son. I didn't know it at the time, but Sako's first mate, a very beautiful human, was slowly dying from a very rare poison. Ka'el, his son, was upset about this. He went out when Ember was four and hired an assassin to kill us. Sako found out and took us to a clearing in Inuyasha's Forest. In that clearing was an old well that local villagers dumped demon bones into. As he shoved us in, he told me to find a mate who could make me happy, and for Ember to visit in a year, when everything had settled down."

Saiyou took a shaky breath, tears threatening to spill over. "Ha'ri took us into his shrine, once he learned that Ember had some miko powers in her. He taught us all about this era, everything we'd ever need to know. In return, he asked that my children call him Jii-chan, and that we give him the true facts on some legends he'd heard that date back to 800 years ago. Eventually, we settled in. I found a new mate, Ember visited her father, I had Souta, and life was fine for a couple years."

While Saiyou told her story, Koenma had George, the blue ogre, bring in refreshments for the occupants of the office, and a box of tissues. Ember blew her nose, and held her mother's hand,. Botan wiped away the tears that formed and sniffled. Koenma urged Saiyou to take a drink. After a couple sips, Saiyou continued to tell her tale.

"The last time Ember went to visit her father, Ka'el killed him slowly, and placed a spell on him when Ember tried to heal him. It only served to kill him faster. When he was finally dead, Ka'el turned Ember into his personal slave for two and a half months."

Ember looked up at the woman sitting next to her. "Mama, I'll tell it from here." At her mother's nod, Ember turned back to face Koenma. "Soon after I became his slave, Ka'el got bored with me and decided to set me free, but not before placing a spell on me. This particular spell affects my tears; it makes them all different kinds of precious metals, jewels, and gems. Apparently, it can only be broken by finding the one being who can truly love me for who I am, and not want to change me in any way. Of course, Ka'el thought that I wouldn't live to see another day. You see, one week after he set me free, he sent an awful, stinky youkai after me. Most of my wounds had healed by then, I was still very weak. So I did the only logical thing I could think of, after getting clawed on the back: I ran away, screaming. After about twenty minutes of running, a clearing came into view. As I entered, I looked behind me, which caused me to stumble and fall.

When I was getting up, I noticed a boy, a youkai, who was nearly naked, and almost dead. Stupid me, I completely forgot about my situation and started to heal the boy. In return, he got up and killed the youkai chasing me. After that, I passed out and woke up two days later in a taijiya village." Saiyou and Botan gasped, while Koenma settled for looking surprised and shocked. Ember giggled at their reactions and continued. "Anyway, the next morning I ran for the well and came home. And that brings us to the here and now."

Botan and Koenma blinked once…twice…three times. Saiyou grinned down at her daughter beside her. Ember raised an eyebrow and had a smug look on her face, almost as if saying 'No duh!' Saiyou rolled her eyes.

"Honey, you left out a detail or two that could be very important," she said.

Botan and Koenma glanced at each other before Koenma cleared his throat. The other two girls turned to him expectantly. He mentally rolled his eyes. "So, you're telling me that the extremely high level of energy that keeps coming and going, annoyingly, mind you, is your daughter going back in time?" At their nods, he sighed. "So why come to me? How can I help? Time travel is tricky business, what with needing permission from me, and all."

"Toddler, I thought you'd never ask. You can do a couple things for us, really. First of all, keep your new SD's away from my home."

"Consider it done," he replied, Botan nodding vigorously beside him.

Grinning, Saiyou continued. "Secondly, give Ember permission to travel back and forth at will." At Koenma's nod, she went on. "Thirdly, don't worry about energy levels coming from the shrine unless there is a distress signal with it. Lastly, give Ember one of the old compacts; when she has finished her training, she and her friend are to go to you so that they may become SD's."

Ember stared at her mother, eyes wide. "Mama, do you really mean it? You'll let me be a Spirit Detective! Sugoi!"

Saiyou, Botan, and Koenma all grinned at her, surprised at her eagerness. Koenma pulled out one of the oldest compacts and slip of paper with his royal seal on it. He wrote a quick note and gave both items to Ember, who put them in her pocket.

"Saiyou, I expect you to teach her how to use that, and tell her what it means to be a Spirit Detective. Before she begins working for us, however, I want her to come back and train her miko and reiki with a friend of mine. She lives on a very old shrine, just a few miles away from yours. Her name is Genkai."

Ember meekly raised her hand. "Um, Koenma, sir. When I come back for her training, may I bring my friend with me? He doesn't know much about his monk powers, and I'm sure he'll not only enjoy, but appreciate, the extra training. Please?"

Koenma looked to Saiyou, who nodded her consent. He turned back to the pleading girl. He was about to answer when a thought struck him. "How do you know he has monk powers?"

Ember blushed. "He…he told me in a dream I was having. See, I was having a nightmare about Ka'el, and then I was in the really pretty field of flowers. Just as I was about to walk into a nearby hut, he appeared right beside me. Well, once the shock wore off we got to talking, which it turns out he doesn't do very much, and I found out that he was another fire-and-ice forbidden, like me. Aside from my family, Flame is my best and only friend. He's the whole reason I want to go back to the past; he promised to teach me and train me in fire, swordsmanship, and martial arts. I promised him I'd train him in archery and who to heal with his ice powers, and his monk powers."

Koenma nodded, letting it all sink in. "Very well. You may bring him for training with Genkai." As soon as he finished speaking, he found himself being fiercely hugged by Ember. He grinned. "Oh, get off of me! And when you do go back, give that note to my past self. Hopefully, I've explained things to myself well enough that I'll understand what's going on."

Botan blinked at him before she started laughing. She ended up falling off her chair and rolling around on the floor. Grabbing her side with one hand and her chair with the other, she tried to pull herself off the ground. "Please…ha ha ha…please! M-make her…hee hee hee…make her stop! It's too funny!"

Saiyou and Koenma looked at each other, and then the laughing Lady of Death. Ember started whistling a small little tune, making her mother and the prince turn and glare at her. She put an innocent look on her face. Saiyou sighed. "Kagome Higurashi, you stop killing Death the instant, or no oden for dinner! You hear me!"

"Yes Mama," answered Ember, scared by the thought of no oden. It was her all time favorite food!

Botan stopped laughing although she would break into a fit of giggles every now and then. Koenma looked weary, and Saiyou rolled her eyes. Ember spoke up. "Did I mention that I'm telepathic? Oh, and that my mind reading skills are getting better every day?" She shook her head. "Oh well! Mama, we'd better get home soon. You know how Jii-chan gets when he's left alone for a while. Botan, um…could you please make us a portal home?"

Botan gave Ember a strange look. "You are _so_ much more polite than your mother. Are you sure the two of you are related?"

Saiyou playfully smacked Botan on the arm and gave a playful growl. "Just make the portal, Bo Bo Bo!"

Botan glared at Saiyou, who just laughed. Botan got an evil, sly smile and opened a portal beneath Saiyou's feet. Ember watched her mother fall, screaming curses to the Grim Reaper. Ember laughed and jumped in after her. The portal closed and Botan and Koenma had a small laugh before going back to work.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**MEANWHILE, WITH HIEI**_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

He opened his eyes, surprisingly well rested. He saw that the sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky a deep, rich orange, along with a very faint blue. The clouds were pink and dull yellow, due to the sun and the sky behind them. He sniffed the air, and a pleasant scent reached his nose, making him smile. 'Ember…you went home already, didn't you…'

Hiei jumped down from his branch and set off into the surrounding forest, leaping from tree to tree. To anyone watching, he was a black streak amongst the leaves. After a couple miles, he came to a clearing and, after making sure that no other demons were around, proceeded to do a pattern dance with his katana. A couple hours later, he had taken off his shirt and moved on to practicing his martial arts.

Suddenly, a thought struck Hiei. How could he train Kagome, his Ember, in swordsmanship if she didn't have a katana? Then he stopped, surprised, and closely examined his last thought again. Since when did he start calling Ember his? He was only thirteen, after all! Shaking his head to clear these confusing thoughts, Hiei put his shirt back on and ran in a southern direction.

He was headed for the most excellent sword smith in the world, named Totosai. Totosai was a very old demon, with a three-eyed cow demon for a pet and steed, and he was friends with all of the Taiyoukai. He was very highly appraised and sought after. Few people knew where he lived, and Hiei just so happened to be one of those lucky few. He skidded to a halt in front of the old demon, and was greeted happily.

"Why, hello there! I haven't seen you for a while. How's the sword holding up? Give it here, I'll sharpen it for you," Totosai said, holding out his hand for the sword, not once giving Hiei a chance to speak.

Hiei reluctantly handed over his katana. Totosai took it, looked at it, turned it over, and finally shook his head. He handed it back, smiling. "I do believe that's the best condition I've seen for any of my swords. So, young one, how may I help you today?"

"I wish to train a friend of mine, but they do not own a katana of their own," he answered.

"Ah, I see. Very well, but I'll need you to go and get me a few materials to make their sword. But first, I need to know more about this person if I am to make a proper sword for them."

Hiei sighed. "Her name is Ember. She is a ten and a half year old fire-and-ice forbidden with miko powers. Apparently, the weapon she has training in is the bow and arrow. She can heal youkai with her miko powers. She has an older hanyou brother who wants her dead. And she is telepathic."

Totosai nodded his head, taking in all the information. Finally, he made a list of materials for Hiei to go get. "I need five of each item, wxcept for the third. I'll need ten of that. Oh, and I'll need your name as well." At the boy's skeptical look, he explained. "It's a new policy. Plus, if you don't give me your name, I won't make the sword."

"Hn. My name is Flame," he grumbled, inwardly grinning at his nickname.

Totosai chuckled. "Ember and Flame, huh? Obviously nicknames, but they seem to fit. Alright, go get me those ingredients; and remember, I need ten of the third, and five of the others."

Flame took the list and ran out of the cave, leaving a shocked old demon standing next to an anvil and a forge. He shook his head and chuckled again. "Children these days…"

Outside, Flame looked at the list. He put it in a pocket in his cape, after memorizing it. 'Let's see: dragon scales, drops of blood from a youkai, bark from the Goshinboku, wolfs bane, and backbone of elder bat youkai. The second and third items shouldn't be too hard to get, but five elder bat youkai backbones and five dragon scales with be difficult. As for the wolfs bane, I don't know where to begin looking. Hell, I don't even know what wolfs bane is!'

He took off running for the Goshinboku and was surprised when he smelled Ember's scent by it. Shrugging it away, Flame proceeded to strip ten large pieces of bark from the tree, keeping as far away from the inu hanyou as possible. 'I wonder why that old coot would need twice as much of this ingredient, compared to the others. What could he possibly be planning?'

Placing the bark in his long black cloak, he groaned as the wind brought the scent of an ookami to his nose. Quickly hiding his scent and aura, Flame jumped into the tree's branches. Three seconds later, a teenage wolf demon came running up to the tree. H e began to growl in frustration, so Flame decided to read his mind. What he heard almost made him laugh.

Damn it! It's been three hours now! When will Ayame stop following me! thought the wolf.

"Hn. You seem to be trying to hide from someone," said Flame, making the wolf jump in surprise.

"Who's there! Show yourself!" he demanded.

"If you wish to see me, jump into the tree," drawled Flame, bored with the proceedings.

"How dare you talk to me, Prince Koga, in such a manner?"

"Hn. Have it your way. I guess you don't want to hid from the onna following you."

"You, you mean you can hide me from her?"

"Hn. I hid from you, didn't I? Quickly, jump."

Koga jumped up and landed on the branch that Flame was situated on. Flame's powers of concealment wrapped around the both of them just as a female ookami ran into the clearing. Koga shuddered and Flame glanced at him.

The ookami prince was tall, and had long black hair tied back into a high dragontail. Fur covered his shins and his chest, along with his forearms and wrists. His tail wrapped around his waist like a belt. He wore shorts of a bluish-green, the same color as his eyes. His skin was a golden bronze, and a faint scent could be smelled underneath his wet dog stench. That scent could only be described as: wind.

Finally, the bitch wolf gave up and ran away, to the north. Koga and Flame jumped to the ground. Koga turned to his saviour. "Domo arigato, Forbidden child, for hiding me. How can I ever repay you?"

"Hn. Don't go around telling everyone that a Forbidden lives, for one."

"Oh, of course. That was obvious. Anything else, uh…um, what's your name, anyway?"

"Hn. I'm Flame. And there is something you might be able to help me with. I need to find five sprigs of wolfs bane, but I don't know what it is, what it looks like, or even where it is commonly found. Do you?"

Koga blinked. In truth, he hadn't really expected Flame to say as much as he had. To say Koga was speechless was an understatement, but he quickly shook his head and answered. "Yeah, I know where to find the weed. It grows in abundance by my pack's den. Follow me, and we'll go get you some. After all, it's the least I can do."

With that, Koga took off running in a northern direction, almost the exact same one the bitch wolf had taken earlier. Flame noticed, however, and filed the information away for later. He also noticed that Koga ran much slower than himself. Sighing in defeat, Flame adjusted his speed to match the wolf's. After about thirty minutes of running, Koga skidded to a halt. He turned to the smaller boy.

"Here. Take as much as you'd like. All of these are wolfs bane, so you won't get something other than what you need. And, you and any of your friends are welcome here in these lands. You have my thanks, and my friendship. Now, I must go. Good luck with whatever it is that you're doing." With that said, Koga ran into a nearby cave.

Flame watched him go and turned to the field of weeds and sighed. He was doing that a lot, lately. Kneeling down, he began to gather the weed. While he was picking one that weren't dead or dying, he found himself thinking about a certain Forbidden female and smiling. Quickly clearing his face, he finished his gathering and left for the bat demon demesnes in the far south. (AN: Please note that Far South and Deep South are nothing alike. Thank you.)

A few hours later, Flame was standing in front of Totosai once again, and was handing him the ingredients. "Why do you need ten pieces of bark from the Goshinboku, old man?"

The old man chuckled. "Bark of the Goshinboku helps maintain untrained spiritual powers. And, when the powers are trained, the bark helps to protect and evolve the wielder. Also, it has a good grain, which mean good grip. When fused with the other items, it becomes more durable, and quite a bit lighter. That's what the wolfs bane is for, as well. It will also help to heal the owner of the sword…Hmm, I seem to be missing one item. Where is the blood of a youkai?"

Flame merely glared at Totosai and pulled out his katana. He cut his palm and allowed five drops of blood to fall into a small bowl. Totosai nodded as he shredded the wolfs bane and half of the bark over the blood and began to mix them all together. Soon he had it ground into a fine, light brown powder, which he set aside for later use. Flame grunted.

"How long will it take you to make her katana? And why did you only use half of the bark?"

Totosai stopped working long enough to look at the inquisitive youth. "It will take two days to make her a proper katana, and another day to improve yours."

Flame's eyes went wide. "Mine! Why mine? What's wrong with it!"

"Don't worry so much. It has come to my attention that you have spiritual powers as well. Yes?"

"Yes," said Flame, lowering his head in shame.

"Now, now, boy. Don't worry! It's not something I'd go blabbing to every youkai who comes. I just want to help you, and your friend, improve your skills by improving your swords. Hand over your katana; I promise that you'll get both swords in three days. I'll see you then." Totosai turned around and began to stick the dragon scales into the flames in the forge, a clear dismissal.

Flame left the senile old youkai to his work, as he went to his home by the waterfall. When he got there, he proceeded to use his fire and ice to create a room for Ember. Somehow, he also managed to create a door from the stone he was carving into.

The cave they would be living and training in was behind the waterfall, which acted as a kind of barrier, so nothing but a water-type youkai could get through. After he was done, he went out the back of the cave into a garden.

There were orchids right and left, in rings that grew outwards like a target. Randomly, the rings would break, deviate, and reconnect, so that an aerial view of it revealed the youkai word for 'peace.' Kneeling down, Flame began weeding and trimming down the dead buds and overgrown branches. This was his secret, his…happy place, as Ember called it. A few hours later, when he was done, he went to the center and began his gymnastics exercises, to help himself stay limber and agile.

Three days later, Flame returned to Totosai's and picked up the katanas. Nodding his thanks, he then ran for the magic tree that was close by. When he got there, he handed it Ember's katana, so it could make a proper sheath for it. While he was waiting, Flame took out his own katana and examined it.

The blade now had an intricate dragon etched into it, and the beast seemed to be surrounded by the flame coming out of its mouth. The hilt looked exactly the same as before, but it was much smoother and had a better grip. Flame felt strangely at peace, and with a start, realized that his elements were no longer opposing each other. The tree began to glow as Ember's katana floated down to him. To his surprise, the tree immediately picked up _his_ katana and sheath, and began to work again. Flame was speechless, but grateful nonetheless. Very soon, the tree glowed again and Flame had his katana, in its improved sheath, back on his hip.

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**Well, that's another chapter down. Read and review, so I can know if you like it or not. The first person to review and say something other than "Plz update soon," or "That was great," will get the next chapter of my other story specially dedicated to them! Buh-bye now!**

**Stats: Words……6,472**

**Pages……8**

**Paragraphs……138**


	4. Chapter 4

A week had passed for Ember. Currently, she was in her room with her okaa-san, packing essentials for training and a few other things, such as: her toothbrush, her hairbrush, a picture of her family (minus her otou-san), and an extra set of bow and arrows. She also packed the compact that Koenma and her okaa-san had given her.

The bow and arrow set she had packed for Flame was a deep, cherry red mahogany with ancient youkai runes to keep them from breaking. There were also flames and snowflakes in between the runes, showing what appeared to be personality differences, but only she, Flame, and a few select others would know the truth. His looked much like her own; in fact, the only way to tell them apart was to look at the fifth snowflake from the top of the bow. There, they could find the symbol for their name, in, of course, ancient youkai.

"Kagome."

Ember turned to the older woman, wondering what was causing her voice to quiver like it was. "Yes, Mama?"

"I don't know how long you'll be gone, but, please, be careful. Okay? I couldn't bear to lose my only little girl," Saiyou said, tears glistening like gems in her eyes. (**Gee, I wonder why…**) "Just promise me something."

"Anything, Mama. You just name it!"

Saiyou smiled sadly. "Promise me that you'll visit on at least one of your birthdays, and that you'll bring your friend with you."

Ember grinned. "Okay, but just so you know, Flame isn't very vocal, or even social for that matter." Finally done packing, the girls headed downstairs and the entire family gathered in front of the well house. Giving them all one last hug and a smile, Ember waved and jumped into the well.

As she fell, a familiar blue glow greeted her, taking her back to her past, back to her Flame. She smiled softly at that thought. 'When did I start thinking of him as mine?' Feeling her feet touch the ground, she gave a mighty leap and was out. Saying the spell to turn back into a demon, she took off running to the northwest. After an hour and a half of non-stop running, she came to the clearing with the waterfall.

A doe and her fawn were grazing on the lush, green grass by a stream. Sakura trees littered the clearing with their freshly fallen flowers. A butterfly fluttered by Ember's face and landed on her nose, making her giggle.

Behind the curtain of water, Flame gave a small, real smile as he watched her. He went to grab her sword, and, on an impulse, he changed into his true demon form. $Ember, change into your true demon form.$

Why Flame? And where are you?

$I'm behind the waterfall. I, uh, have a gift for you.$

Oh, okay. I have something for you too, Flame.

Flame blinked in surprise. He was not expecting to receive anything from her. It was not an unwelcome gesture, he just hoped that it didn't happen too often; he really didn't like being caught by surprise, by anything.

Ember shooed the butterfly off her nose and transformed, then jumped through the waterfall. A small gasp escaped her lips as a blush covered her cheeks. She only had one thought, that just so happened to be the exact same thing that Flame was thinking: 'Whoa!'

Flame was standing in the middle of the cave, some hair falling into his eyes. Without his cape and shirt, Ember could see that his skin had turned to a beautiful shade of green. His hair had split down the middle and his eye color had intensified. He was staring at her, making her blush grow. She let her eyes fall from his, and had to bite her lip so she wouldn't moan. Flame was super hot! (**Please forgive me, no pun was intended!**)

Ember was standing just in the mouth of the cave, still a little wet. Her hair, which was now the same color of his eyes, hung limply matted to arms and waist. Her eyes, piercing through his, were the same light grey, now with red specks. Flame felt a faint blush come to his face, when he saw hers grow. Mentally shaking his head, he smirked, deciding to end the silence. "Hn. Do I amuse you, onna?"

Grinning, Ember replied, "Ch. Monkeys always amuse me."

Flame frowned. "Hn. Who are you calling a monkey?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "You, obviously. Ch. I thought you would have known that. Oh well. I guess you're not as smart as I a-…um, Flame, where did you go?"

Her question was soon answered as she found herself on her back, Flame straddling her hips, a katana at her throat. His face was inched from hers, and the gap was closing. He spoke into her ear, making her shiver with delight.

"Ember, that is _not_ a statement I would finish, if I were you. I doubt you can even read or write."

"Actually," she said in his ear, making _him_ quiver in delight, "I can. I can do math as well. I was the smartest girl in the village. The best singer, too!"

Rolling his eyes, flame stood up and sheathed his katana before helping Ember to her feet. "Now, as I said earlier, I have a gift for you, Kagome."

She felt her eyes widen as he brought out another katana. "It's…beautiful," she whispered, grabbing it.

And it was. The hilt was a deep brown, and was smooth with a good grip. It had a ruby and a sapphire imbedded in the hilt, with sliver surrounding the orbs. In between the ruby and sapphire, a silver indentation sat, almost as if it were holding a spot for one last gem. The ruby was closer to the blade, and the sapphire was closer to the end, the opposite of Flame's sword. The blade had a dragon on it, just like his, flame and all. Hilt and all, it was two and a half feet long. It was very light, perfectly balanced for her. As she held it, she felt at peace, and realized that the sword was somehow help in her raging elements calm down. She smiled at Flame, and he felt his breathing hitch as his heart fluttered.

"Domo arigotou, Hiei. Here is my gift to you." As she spoke, she placed her katana in her sash and got out his bow and a full quiver of arrows. "It's all handmade, by me, so I hope that the pull is resistant enough. Um, I put your nickname on it, and I really hope you like it."

He grabbed the bow and fingered the designs before grabbing the string and pulling. He then pulled out an arrow and looked along its length. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to her. Smiling, he said, "Domo arigotou, Kagome. It's perfect."

The two children the transformed back into their normal states and Flame showed Ember to her room. As she walked in, she felt her eyes widen as she looked around. "H-Flame, did you do all this by yourself?"

"Hn." He nodded.

"For me?"

"Hn." Another, if somewhat smaller, nod, accompanied by a blush.

"Oh, thank you so much! I love it!" she said, turning around and hugging him.

After a couple of seconds, he returned the gesture, somewhat shyly. Feeling the hesitation coming from her friend, Ember pulled back slightly and frowned. You didn't get hugged much as a child, did you?

$Uh, in all honesty, that was the first hug I've ever had. No one's been brave enough to get that close without a dagger, so they could stab me in the back.$

Oh, Flame. No child should be neglected like that. Say, do you know how long all your training is going to take? Mine will take roughly about two years.

$Well, if you're a good study and a quick learner, all of it should last about three and a half years. That is, if we combine my training with yours.$

Oh, that's good. See, my mom wanted me to visit on one of my birthdays, and my fourteenth would be perfect.

$When is it?$

May 22. When is your birthday, Flame?

$June 19, I think. And in case you might ever happen to wonder, my favorite color is black, my favorite flower is the orchid, I have a half-sister who knows nothing of me, and all my training is self-taught.$

Well, if that's how we're going to do this, my favorite color is green, my favorite flower is the sakura blossom, I live with: a human I call Jii-chan, my mother, and my younger hanyou brother; and currently, they all live in the future.

Flamed blinked. $The future! How is that possible!$

Ember shrank away from her friend. Flame, please stop yelling. It's scaring me!

$I'm sorry. But how do they live in the future?$

A calm look came over her face. I'd really rather not talk about it right now. Can we start training now, preferably with swords?

Flame was taken aback by the look on her face, but nodded and promptly disappeared. $I will be waiting in the clearing in front of the waterfall.$

You have _got_ to teach me how to do that.

$Do what, Ember?$

How you disappear like that!

$Hn. I don't 'disappear.' I simply run extremely fast. And it's all a part of the training.$

Awesome. Ember put her things in her new room, changed into a purple fighting outfit, and ran back outside. For the rest of the day, Flame was very patient as he taught her how to hold her katana correctly, and several stances once he was sure that she couldn't drop her sword while going through them.

After a month of swords, Flame switched tactics and began teaching her gymnastics and martial arts. She showed a natural flair for all three, so after another month, he combined them. It gave them both a workout, which surprised Flame greatly. Often, at night, he would hear Ember practicing everything she had learned.

After four months, it was Ember's turn to play the teacher. She proved to be very strict when it came to concentrating and meditating. Flame was a quick learner when it came to channeling his holy powers into his arrows, and Ember only had to correct his stance once. She seemed fairly astonished when they found out that his holy powers were a deep purple. When he questioned her about it, she merely said, "For a monk, purple is the purest color possible." All of her training took three months.

After those three months, Flame began teaching again. He had Ember wear weights of increasing heaviness as he had her run laps around the clearing. Gradually, she got faster, soon rivaling him in speed. Her fire powers were developing nicely, so he made her combine them with the rest of her training. It was by pure accident, then, when she made the 'Dragon of the Darkness Flame,' but it both scared and intrigued Flame. As the two sat dressing the burn on her left arm, he asked her how she did it.

"Well, I was gathering my fire and ice, and thought, 'Hey! Wouldn't this attack be so much more powerful if I added in some of my miko powers too?' When I did, the words just popped into my head, and when I spoke them, that black dragon appeared and burnt my arm. Apparently, it's a real living Hell Dragon that's now fused with me and can talk to me. In fact, he's talking to me right now, apologizing for burning my arm. But, he says it won't hurt to use him again." As an afterthought, she added, "He's very polite."

Flame snorted. "Hn. I'll bet he is."

You had best believe it, bubs! Nice to meet you. I am known as Gopan.

$Hn. Gopan, was it? How long are you going to stay on her arm? Can you come off, without disappearing?$

Of course I can. Just, not right now. I need more energy to be able to do that.

Well, you just rest up, Gopan. Are there any others like you?

Just my other half, Misukita.

$Interesting. What do you mean, 'other half?'$

God, you brats are nosey. By other half, I mean just that. Misukita is my soul mate. But, she can only be controlled with the help of a Jagan eye. Are you done questioning me now? Can I go to sleep?

Oh, yes. Of course, Gopan. Pleasant dreams.

Flame, who had finished wrapping Ember's burn, looked up at her and smirked. She smiled back and nodded. They both knew that Flame had an appointment for the Jagan surgery in a little over a year. After she had told him everything about her past, and about living in the future, an orphaned ice maiden had stumbled into their clearing. Shortly after questioning her, interrogating, really, they realized that she was Flame's little sister, Yukina. After letting her stay for a night so she could sleep, they said their goodbyes. After she was gone, the two had talked all day and long into the night about the pros and cons about getting the eye implanted.

The pros had won out over the cons, so the two had set out to find the youkai who would perform the operation. Along the way, they ran into a plethora of youkai, much to their delight, and so got to practice their skills and grade each other. When they finally got to the necessary youkai, he had said that he would be happy to do it, once Flame had matured a bit. So they set up an appointment for two year later and went back home.

Ember began training Flame to use his ice powers and how to heal with both ice and monk powers. Since Flame was fire dominant and lacked control in meditation, each section of the healing training took six and a half months. They had to run fast so that they wouldn't miss the appointed surgery day. Once they got back, Flame began practicing his martial arts and got the same idea Ember had, over a year ago. Soon, Misukita was on his arm, much to Gopan's delight. Flame and Ember continued their training, unaware of the bond that was, and had been, forming between them.

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_**ONE YEAR AND SIX MONTHS LATER**_

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Well, Flame, I think we're done training here, Ember said, packing her clothes into a bag that was dusty from lack of use.

$Hey, um, today's your fourteenth birthday, right?$

Yeah, it is. I'm so excited! I've missed my family so much.

$Um, is there any gift you've wanted, but haven't gotten?$ asked Flame, shifting from foot to foot in his garden, or 'happy place.'

Flame didn't know this information because he and Ember had both made a promise not to read each other's mind without the owner's expressed permission. And when they got permission, they promised only to find what they were looking for, and not traipse around in each other's mind. Therefore, Flame and Ember were forced to communicate with each other if they wanted to know anything. Not that either of them minded, of course.

After a moment of silence, Ember answered back. Yes, actually, there is one. How well can you sing?

Flame fought to keep a blush off of his face, though he knew that Ember couldn't see it. $I, uh, I don't know. I've never had anyone listen to me sing before. The only song I know is 'The Briar and the Rose.'$

Really! I love that song! Do you think we could sing it together, right now, before we leave? Please, oh please, oh please!

$Um…sure, I guess. You know that door at the back of the cave? The one with the ancient youkai written all over it?$

Ember blinked and scanned her memory. Finally she smiled. Yeah. What about it?

$Come through it. We'll sing here, in the middle. It's my little, um, 'happy place,' and a fitting place for the last thing we'll be doing here.$ he said, again fighting not to blush.

Um, a-alright. I'll see you in a sec. Closing her bag, Ember heaved it over her shoulder and stumbled backwards a bit. 'Whoa, this thing is kinda heavy…Oh well, more training for me.' Soon, her body adjusted to the weight and she could move freely. She ran as fast as she could to the door and opened it. What she saw made her freeze in shock.

In fact, she was _so_ shocked, she spoke aloud, instead of through their mind link. "Flame, this…is you 'happy place?' My god! It-it's beautiful! How long have you been taking care of it!"

Flame smirked at the look on her face, pleasure and amusement rolling off of him in waves. "I'm glad you like it. I've been taking care of it for fourteen years, to the day. I guess you could call it your very first birthday present, and your first present from me."

Ember dropped her bag, ran up to Flame, and tackled him in a hug. Then she placed a kiss upon the Jagan. Flame hugged her back, but when she kissed his Jagan, he involuntarily shivered as a moan escaped from his lips. Thankfully, Ember didn't notice. Quickly ending the hug before he embarrassed himself, he stood up and picked the biggest orchid, before placing it in her hands.

"Oh, Flame, thank you! So very, very much. It's beautiful," she whispered, gazing lovingly at the flower.

'It's nowhere near as beautiful as you are, Kagome,' he thought, suddenly wishing that he were the orchid she was gazing at. Shaking his head, he thought, 'Whoa, where the hell did _that_ come from!' He was brought out of his musings by a hand waving in front of his face. Just as many times before, he quickly grabbed her hand and nipped the back, grinning as she gasped. "Well, let's, um, sing that song now. Um, you start."

Ember nodded and took a deep breath. She began singing and Flame was once more reminded of how angelic she sounded.

I fell asleep down by a stream,

-And there I had the strangest dream,- :At this, Flame joined in, making the song a duet. Ember nearly fainted at how beautiful his voice sounded.:

-And down by Brannon's Glen there grows,

A briar and a rose.

There's a tree in the forest, and I don't know where

I built a nest out of your hair,

And climbing up into the air,

A briar and a rose.-

Well I don't know how long it's been,

-But I was born in Brannon's Glen,

And near the end of Spring there grows,

A briar and a rose.

I picked the rose one early morn,

I pricked my finger on a thorn.

It had grown so close, it's winding wove

A briar and a rose.-

I tried to tear them both apart,

-I felt a bullet through my heart,

And all dressed up in Spring's new clothes,

The briar and the rose.

And when I'm buried, and in my grave,

Tell me, so I may know.

Your tears may fall, to make love grow,

The briar and the rose.-

As they repeated the ending, Ember opened her eyes and looked around. The orchids had turned towards them, and the woodland creatures had snuck in close, forming a circle. Flame opened his eyes to see her gazing around. When their voices stopped, the only noise that could be heard was the gentle rustling of the wind through the flowers, for even the birds had hushed their singing to listen to the two demons.

Ember turned back to Flame, to see him staring at her. "Wow, Flame. Just, wow. You have a beautiful singing voice. You should sing more often, especially around pretty plants. They grow better," breathed Ember, a light blush covering her face, despite her best efforts to hold it back.

"Thank you. You sounded like an angel, Ember," said Flame, suddenly finding the grass at his feet very interesting. After a couple minutes of silence, he looked up and saw her staring at him, her mouth slightly open. Smirking, he said, "That's a good fish impression." When she started spluttering, he started laughing. "Oh, calm down. Are we ready to go now?"

When she finally calmed down, she ran her fingers through her hair, something she did when she was thinking. "Well, there is one last tiny little thing I want to do before we leave."

Flame heaved a big sigh, making Ember giggle. "What is it? I wanna go get more training," he whined. "After meeting you mother, of course," he hastily added, seeing her glare that was directed at him.

Rolling her eyes, Ember huffed. "Don't worry. This is only gonna take a few seconds. I just need your hands, and a little bit of your monk power."

Hesitantly, he placed his hands in hers, and, ignoring the sudden pounding of his heart, channeled his power into her. She closed her eyes and began to chant. True to her word, a few seconds later her eyes reopened and she smiled, making Flame's heart flutter with an unknown emotion, which he firmly squelched.

"Okie-dokie, all done!" Seeing his blank stare, she elaborated. "I put a barrier around the entire meadow; waterfall and all. Only you and I can get in here. If anyone else wants in, they need to be holding onto both of us, and have both of our permission. Well, let's go! I'll race you to the well!" And with that, she took off running. Flame blinked, then grinned. "Catch me if you can!" she hollered back at him.

Just before Ember reached the edge of the meadow, Flame caught up and brushed past, making her feet falter and her eyes widen as a barely audible gasp escaped her ruby red lips. She struggled to right herself as she heard his rumbling laughter in the back of her head, thanks to their mind link. Putting on a burst of speed, Ember caught up to Flame and looked into his eyes to see mirth and happiness before they quickly disappeared, making her gasp again.

$Onna, stop gasping. It's slightly annoying.$

Only slightly? Well, sorry, but you showed emotion! Coming from you, it's kinda creepy. And what you said earlier doesn't help either, you know. It really confuzzled me.

$Hn. We're here, now what? And by the way, I won.$ said Flame, coming to a stop on the lip of the well, Ember by his side.

Ember didn't hear him, lost as she was in her own thoughts. 'I can't believe he said something like that. What did he mean by 'I will always catch you, in one way or another?' Gah, talk about creepy!'

Flame rolled his eyes when she didn't respond and waved his hand in front of her face. Smirking, she finally did what she'd been wanting to do for three and a half years: she grabbed his hand and nipped the back of it. Her smirk grew to an evil grin when she saw how much his eyes had widened by her seemingly simple action. Now, where you saying something?

$Uh…$ Needless to say, he was a little bit shocked. $Hn. I merely asked what we do now,$ he said gruffly, embarrassed.

Oh, um, now you hold my hand, she said, holding out her hand, and then we jump in!

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a larger, warmer, and slightly more calloused hand slip into hers, and then she and Flame were falling into a familiar blue light. Ember noticed none of this; she was too busy looking at their intertwined hands, and trying to figure out why it felt so _right_.

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**Stats:Words……3,985**

**Pages……7**

**Paragraphs……131**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ah, you must be Flame! Ember's told us so much about you. Well, come on you two, out of that well!" exclaimed Saiyou, smiling like a kitsune who just found sugar. Standing at the edge, she backed up so the children could get out.

Flame turned to Ember and raised an eyebrow. She was looking anywhere but at him. He rolled his eyes, picked her up like a bride, and, ignoring her startled gasp and his increasing heart rate, jumped up and out. $So, they know that I'm a Forbidden with holy monk powers, and yet they still welcome me?$

Ch, yeah! That's my okaa-san, Saiyou Mayukina Higurashi. It was she who told me to bring you home with me in the first place. Of course, I was planning on doing just that anyway, but that's so not the point.

$Hn. Well, arigotou Ember.$

Both children said, "Become human," and stepped into the light. Ember looked over at Flame, who merely rolled his eyes in annoyance when she giggled. Saiyou smiled happily at the two as they interacted with each other.

"Come on! Inside, the both of you. The quicker you get in, the sooner we'll have breakfast. And Flame, I want to see your normal youkai form, after we eat. Oh, and don't mind Souta or Jii-chan, they're always like that," she chirped.

Flame blinked a couple times. "Always like…what?"

"You'll see, you'll see," giggled Ember.

Still holding hands, Ember dragged Flame into the house, her mother following a few steps behind. Saiyou wiped a tear from her eyes and placed it in her pocket. 'I wish I had a camera. They look so cute together!' She was a little surprised when the two immediately dropped their hands, as if they had been burnt. Unbeknownst to her, Ember and Flame had heard her thoughts, thus causing them to blush and snatch back the offending appendages.

Following Ember into the kitchen, Flame felt his eyes widen at all of the appliances. 'Whoa! Can ningens truly create all this in only five hundred years?'

It's amazing, isn't it Master?

$Misukita, what have you been told about calling me Master?$

Never call you Master, though by dragon law it would be my death if I were not to do so.

Oh, don't sweat it Misu. Kagome won't let me call her Mistress, either. And besides, we are the only dragons who even know of those ridiculous laws, so let's be rid of them!

I agree, Gopan. They _are_ ridiculous. And I hate the words 'Master' and 'Mistress', let alone that they are being applied to me or someone I know! Then, blocking both dragons, Ember spoke to Flame unhindered. Hey, Flame, will you do me a small favor?

$Hn, it depends. What is it that you want?$

Could you _please_ take of your bandana? The Jagan is _so_ cool, but I hardly ever get to see it. Pretty please, with sweet snow on top! I'm totally sure Mama really wants to see it too. And I know for a fact that she won't laugh or scorn you. _Please_!

$Hn. Fine.$ Secretly, he added, 'But only for you, Kagome.' He took off his bandana, and Souta, who had been standing in front of them, gasped as he eyes went wide with shock and admiration. The Jagan flashed open just as Souta moved to touch it. The young boy grinned like a little fool who had just gotten the world's biggest candy bar.

Flame groaned and turned around, only to be met with Saiyou's surprised face. She merely looked at the Jagan, looked into his eyes, then at her daughter, and then back to him. Smiling, she reached out and gently touched it. Flame pulled back, hissing in pain. Ember quickly grabbed both sides of his head and pulled it down, lightly placed a soft kiss on the now closed eye. Saiyou watched with a small smile as Flame stopped hissing in pain, and even began to lean into it. She decided to put a stop to it when her daughter's kisses began to make him, for lack of a better word, purr.

"Ahem! Souta, would you please show your sister and our new friend to the dining room while I serve breakfast?"

Ember and Flame broke apart once again, both blushing a deep cherry red. Souta bounced up and down, excited at the thought of having another full-blooded youkai friend, other than his mother and sister. As Flame followed the hyperactive boy, he thought, 'Oh, my Kagome! What do you do to me! I _**never**_used to act like this before I met you. Have you somehow placed a spell upon me, without my knowing? If you have, please don't ever take it off!' (**Extremely OOC, I know. Please don't kill me!**)

Souta began yammering on about something or other when he said something that caught Flame's attention.

"What did you just say?" he growled. Souta had a confused expression on his face. Flame elaborated. "Just now, about your neighbor. What did you say?"

"Oh, Suichi? He's a little strange, I think. He has one complete ningen soul and one complete youkai soul. The youkai is a 300 year old silver spirit kitsune, and is quite perverted. The ningen is a fifteen year old boy with long, curly, rose red hair, deep green eyes, and a very shy, self-conscious personality. He makes a great friend, though. This one time, I was being chased by bullies, and he saw, and came to help, then, out of nowhere, had this green, thorny whip thing, and all the bullies' clothes came off, and they ran away crying, and they've left me alone ever since. He's real cool. He lets me call him Kurama when we're not around anyone from his school. Or his mom." Souta said all this in one breath, scaring Ember and Flame.

Ember had a skeptical look on her face. "Isn't that the boy you said looks like a girl?" Flame gave her a strange look out of the corner of his eyes, which she steadfastly ignored.

Souta, not noticing any of this, nodded his head. "Yup, he still does, too. But what's really weird is, he's always being chased home by girls. He says that their part of his 'fan club.'"

At this point, the three of them plus Saiyou were seated and eating breakfast, when Jii-chan came through the doorway. He stopped short when he saw Flame. Saiyou smiled at the paranoid old man. "Come, join us. You must be hungry." Ha'ri didn't move. "Oh, and this young man is Flame, Ember's friend." With a looking of dawning comprehension, Ha'ri at last sat down and began eating.

Flame quirked an eyebrow, but kept eating. He and Ember quickly downed their food and excused themselves. Ember looked over at flame and smiled, causing a small blush to appear on his face. Luckily, she didn't notice it.

"C'mon, Flame. I need to get changed, and I need help choosing an outfit!" she chirped, grabbing his hand.

"Why do you need _my_ help!" he groaned. She just giggled. He huffed and followed her up the stairs to her room.

Hiei, I want your opinion on something. And be honest.

$Hn. I always am. What is it, Kagome?$

Ember mentally shivered in delight. After our training with Genkai, should we maybe go our own ways and promise to meet again in a few years? You know, so we can surprise each other with new techniques?

"$Hn. Do you want to?$

Well, sort of. I mean, it would be good to have something new that no one knows about. Plus, it would be cool to have a reunion. I'd like to test a theory I've been forming for the past couple months. Besides, it's not like we'll be totally separated. We have Gopan and Misukita, and you have that sexy Jagan eye, so we can chat and check up on each other, to make sure that the other isn't dead.

$Hn, you have a valid point. We'll work out the finer details towards the end of Genkai's training. And what's you theory, if I may be so bold as to ask?$

Ch, you can ask all you want. That doesn't mean I'll tell you. Besides, it's a secret. Now, what do you think of this outfit? Does it look alright?

She was wearing a white, sparkly t-shirt and a pair of black short-shorts. The shirt had light, ice blue letters saying, "If I had to choose between looking at you and ingesting poison, I'd take the poison!" The shorts had a red flame detail on the back left pocket. Knee-high, form fitting, shiny, black, leather boots adorned her feet. Her hair was in braided pigtails with a blue and red scrunchy. (**Not that it really matters, but the blue scrunchy is on the left pigtail, and the red one is on the right.**)

Lady Kagome, I think that your outfit is entirely too revealing, and indecent besides.

Well, I wasn't asking you, now was I Gopan? I do believe that I was asking Flame.

Well, what _do_ you think, Lord Hiei? Personally, I agree with Gopan. But, that's just me.

'I think that she looks like an angel, but I can't let them know that.' $Hn, I guess it'll do.$ Flame said, shrugging.

Ember smiled and hugged Flame, refusing to let go until he hugged her back. "Thank you Flame, that means a lot coming from you."

Once again, flame had to force down a blush that was fighting to come up. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly pulled back from the hug. "What did you have to get changed for, anyway?"

"Hm? Oh, I thought we'd go say 'hi' to the Suichi boy. And yes, you're coming with, because then we're going to the mall." Seeing his blank look, she giggled. "It's hard to explain, but you'll understand when we get there. Come on, let's go. Oh, but first, cover up your Jagan again."

Flame nodded and put the bandana back over his Jagan, and checked to make sure that his sword was clear in its sheath. He then chanted a small spell and  
Ember saw the outline of the sword fade a bit. She knew that this meant that only powerful youkai could see it.

Ember once more grabbed his hand and pulled him back down the stairs. "Mama! Flame and I are going to go say 'hi' to Suichi, and then we're going to the mall, okay!" she called.

"Okay sweetie! Be back by 5:30, and I put my credit card in your purse!" shouted Saiyou from the kitchen.

Ember grabbed her purse from the entryway and, still holding Flame's hand, led him outside and over to Suichi's house. After knocking on the door and waiting, the two felt a very strange energy coming to the front of the house.

A boy with rose red hair rounded the corner and greeted them. "Hello. I'm Suichi Minamino. May I help you?"

Ember grinned and gave him a little wave. "Hi Kurama! I'm Ember, and this is my best friend, Flame."

Suichi looked a bit shocked. "Um, pardon my asking, but how did you know that name?"

Ember chuckled. "My little brother seems to idolize you. Perhaps you know him? He goes by Souta Higurashi."

Green eyes blinked, and Flame noticed golden specks mixed in. "Ah, yes. I know Souta. And you must be the sister he's always going on about, non-stop. Now I understand. So, how may I help you two today?"

$Hn. He is much too polite.$ said Flame, causing Ember to snicker.

Tell _him_ that, not me! But, 'tis true. Hey, think he'll come to the mall with us?

$Hn. There's one way to find out. And ask to see the kitsune soul before we leave.$

Ch, fine. "Hey, Kurama. Would you like to go to the mall with us?"

"Let me ask my mother. Please, wait here." Kurama went inside, leaving Flame and Ember to entertain themselves for a moment. Ember started humming the song that she and Flame had sung earlier that day, and Flame just stared at his hand, which Ember was _still_ holding.

Surprisingly, he found that he didn't want her to let go. Feeling bored, he started talking with Misukita. $Misukita, what have you been doing? My arm is burning.$

Oh, well, uh, Gopan and I have, um, decided to, ah, switch places with each other. It's completely safe, and Kagome will be able to control me without a Jagan. Really, that was only needed to bring me from the depths of Hell. Once I was 'tamed,' the Jagan was no longer necessary. Anyway, he and I just decided that it was a tad bit, um, strange for the female to control the male, and vice versa. The transfer will be complete in about an hour.

$Hn, very well…I'll miss you, Misu.$

I'll miss you too, Lord Hiei.

Flame resisted the urge to roll his eyes in embarrassment as the front door opened. Kurama stepped out, smiling. Ember grinned.

"Well, Kurama? What's the verdict? Yay, or nay?" asked Ember, excitedly.

"Mother said I could go, as long as I am home by 8:00. Shall we go?" he replied.

Flame nudged Ember, a slightly curious look in his eyes. She nodded to him and turned back to Kurama. "Hey, Kurama, before we go, Flame and I were wondering if we could see your kitsune soul. Pretty please?" Ember stuck her bottom lip out and began to quiver it, and opened her eyes wide. Flame grinned, glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of that look. No one resist her 'puppy face' look. No one.

Kurama fidgeted nervously. "Um, well, let's do that in a park. You see, Mother doesn't know about Yoko, or youkai for that matter."

"Oh, yeah, sure! That's fine! Now, let's go!" exclaimed Ember, as she grabbed Kurama's hand and began dragging both boys in the general direction of the mall. "Hey, Kurama, one more question. Can you speak telepathically?"

Of course. But I haven't quite found a way to block Yoko yet, so anything perverted is coming from him.

'I heard that, Red! Double nightmares tonight!'

Flame and Ember just glanced at each other and grinned. Kurama had a pained look on his face, but he grinned nonetheless. Yoko was elated over his small victory. About five minutes later, the teens came across a barrier. Dropping Ember's hand, he walked up to it and consulted Yoko.

What do you think of this, Yoko?

'Hm. This barrier is very old, before my time. And very, very powerful. It was created by someone with full control of holy power. Even I could not break down this barrier.'

Kurama was stupefied. 'Yoko, the greatest thief and barrier-breaker of all time, could not get through this barrier? _It is unheard of! It's simply not possible!_'

'Knock it off, Red. Or it's triple nightmares!'

Ember and Flame were quietly snickering, slightly surprised. First of all, they hadn't expected their barrier to last the five hundred years, and they certainly hadn't expected it to be this strong, even if it _was_ still standing. Secondly, they didn't think that they had full control of their holy powers. They had heard the conversation and Kurama's later thoughts.

He has my permission to enter.

$Hn. He has mine as well.$

Kurama turned towards the snickering duo, a little sad. He noticed that they no longer held hands. He was a bit confused by their snickering, but he ignored it, thinking that they had told each other a joke. "I'm sorry. Yoko can't break this barrier, so we can't get through. It's too strong for him."

Ember and Flame nodded to each other and took one of his arms, Ember the left, and Flame the right. When he looked up at the barrier, he was shocked to find that it had disappeared!

"What…but…how…where did the barrier go!"

Flame shook his head, smirking. "It's our barrier, Fox."

"Yours! But it's so _old_! How the hell can it be yours!"

The duo just shook their heads and dragged the confused avatar through the area where the barrier was supposed to be. He shut his eyes and braced himself, but nothing happened. Warily, he opened his eyes, gold lining green in curiosity. What he saw made him gasp, and Yoko began to drool in surprise.

Ok, Fox, let's see this perverted kitsune soul.

'Hey! I'm not _that_ perverted!'

$Fox, quit whining and get on with it. There is something here that I must tend to.$

Alright, here goes. Kurama shut his eyes and concentrated. A white glow shielded him from view for about a minute. When it went away, a seven foot tall silver kitsune stood in his place. He grinned and fanned out his tails, all seven of them, as he twitched his ears.

The twitching movement caught Ember's attention. Her hands began to twitch towards the small, furry triangles. Yoko, she said sweetly, may I feel your ears? _Please?_

'I guess. Just don't tug on them, okay? I wouldn't want to have to kill you.'

OKAY!

Yoko winced, but leaned down and allowed Ember to tweak his ears. Flame felt a small pain in his heart when the fox began to purr, but he ignored it. Ember giggled and let go, making Yoko whimper at the loss of contact.

$Hn. Alright, let's go to this 'mall' now.$

While Yoko transformed back into Kurama, Ember ran over to the waterfall and jumped in. Flame merely stared questioningly after her, while Kurama took the chance to look around. He was taking in the sights and was getting ready to help out a dying plant when Ember came back.

Hiei, she said, making the boy shudder in unexpected delight, I just checked behind the door, and everything is fine. It looks exactly the same as this morning, when we left.

$Thank you, Kagome. That means a lot to me.$

Okay, so, I just came into this conversation and all, but are we going soon? Yoko won't leave me alone…

Ember just shook her head, grabbed the boys by the hand, and led them to the biggest mall around. Hey, Fox.

Yes?

Since you don't have to be back until 8:00, why don't you come over to my house after we go to the mall? It's my fourteenth birthday, plus Souta would love to have you there.

I don't want to impose…

$Fox, come to her birthday party.$

Ember shot Flame an amused expression. He blushed and looked away. Thankfully, Ember missed his blush once again, but unfortunately, Kurama didn't. The avatar filed the information away for later review and use.

$Hn. Do I amuse you, onna?$

Ch. Monkeys always amuse me.

Kurama began chuckling, drawing attention from some of the other shoppers. Flame and Ember just ignored him, too caught up in their banter.

$Hn. Who are you calling a monkey?$

You, obviously. Ch. But you're _my_ monkey!

Flame stopped walking, causing Ember and Kurama to stop and stare at him curiously. His eyes were wide, and had a slightly glazed look to them. Ember knew this look immediately and instantly began pouting.

'Damn it! He's put up a barrier again. He's been doing that a lot, lately. I wonder what he's thinking about. I hope he's alright.'

Flame's thoughts were confusing him. 'I'm _her_ monkey? What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean! It…it can't mean what I think it does, _can_ it? And what the hell is a monkey, anyway! Come to think of it, what the hell is her theory? Now where is she taking me!'

Ember had gotten fed up with waiting for Flame to come out of his self-induced stupor and grabbed his hand, along with Kurama's, and began dragging the two of them into her absolute favorite shop: Hot Topic. Flame was floored by all the things he saw: baggy pants with chains; leather outfits; and fuzzy handcuffs. Flame felt like he was in foreplay heaven. Ember was tossing the guys clothes and pushing them towards the dressing rooms. When Kurama asked why, she giggled and said that it would be a birthday present from her new friend to her. The guys rolled their eyes, but went anyway to keep her happy.

She punched her fist into the air, a smile grin of victory plastered onto her face. 'Sweet, my own private fashion show!'

Mistress, what is a 'fashion show' and why do you want one?

You'll see, Misu. You'll see. So, I take it that the transfer is over now?

Hai. It was much quicker than originally expected.

Indeed. No complaints here, though. And you don't have to call me Mistress if you don't want to, alright?

Alright…Mistress!

Ember could just imagine the big, cheeky grin on the female dragon's face, and rolled her eyes. Hey, Fox, are you ready yet? You get to go first, lucky you!

I feel so ridiculous in this! I refuse to come out!

'Shut up and bear it, Red. At least it matches your hair.'

It does not! …It complements it…

$Whatever, Fox! Just go already!$

Alright, alright! Geez, calm down already. Here I come.

Kurama came out wearing a silver spandex shirt that showed off his chest and upper arms. On his legs was a pair of tight, black leather pants. His muscles were well toned, and not overly huge, giving him a lean figure. Ember's eyes traveled down to his pants and felt a blush on her cheeks. She thought she heard a growl coming from the dressing rooms, but it stopped almost immediately, so she dismissed it.

$Ember, let me see through your eyes. Gopan is curious as to what a 'fashion show' is.$

Okay. And Gopan, for your information, a fashion show is where people try on clothes for other people, and then show them. Kind of like what we did earlier in my room.

'Say WHAT! Red, what did she just say!'

Shut up, Yoko. You're such a perv. And annoying.

'…Say that again, it sounds funny.'

$You're giving me a headache. Please be quiet!$

Kurama blinked, and received a mental image of Yoko doing the same. 'That…was weird.'

After getting a nod of approval from the birthday girl, Kurama went back into his booth of the dressing rooms. Ember began conversing with Flame.

So, Flame, what did you think of his outfit?

$Hn. It was…alright, if a bit tight.$

'Yeah, well, you know what! It's your turn. 1, 2, 3, hit it turkey, go!'

$What did you just call me, Fox!$

I apologize for Yoko's behavior, Flame. Please, show us your outfit.

$Hn.$

Flame came out wearing a blood red, very tight tank top, and some _very_ tight pants. On his feet were black combat boots with silver trimmings. He had to keep from snickering at the look of complete shock on Ember's face. Looking over at the fox, he noticed that the avatar had raised an eyebrow at Ember's reaction.

Ember's jaw had very nearly hit the floor in her surprise. Her purple eyes glazed over with a hint of grey, and drool began forming in her mouth. In her expert opinion, and that of every other female in the store who had gathered around, Flame was on _fire_! Uber supermodels couldn't hold a candle to him, he was so hot. Ember looked him up and down, loving the muscle definition brought by the top and bottom. Her gaze lingered on certain…areas…of the pants, but she managed to tear her gaze away. However, her eyes nearly burst out of her skull to explode with happiness when he turned around to go back into the dressing room he had emerged from.

Wow Flame! That, is probably the world's most _perfect_ ass! I envy you!

Flame stumbled a bit on his way back to the little booth, but only Kurama noticed, so Flame wasn't too worried about it. $Hn. You know, talking with flies in your mouth is actually more difficult than people would lead you to believe…$ he said with a smirk.

Ember's blush deepened, promoting her from ripe tomato to maraschino cherry. Oh, shut up! As much as I hate to say it, that is the best you've ever looked.

$Um…thank you?$

Quick question!

Ember was sure of it. There was definitely growling coming from Flame's booth. However, curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to ask him about it later. So what's the question, Fox?

You said that this little fashion show would be my birthday present to you, right?

Right…

Well, I was wondering if you would like Flame and I to buy these outfits as an extension of this present? Yoko smirked. He too had heard the growling, but, like Ember, had thought nothing of it. Now, though, he heard the volume increase. Kurama, seeing his counterpart's smirk in his mind's eye, asked Yoko about it.

'It would seem that Flame is a very possessive being. At first, I thought that to be the extent of it. Now, however, it would appear that the little firefly is a tad bit…jealous.'

Why is he jealous, and who in the world could he _possibly_ be jealous of!

'Us, Red, because now he has to compete for Ember's attentions.'

Oh dear. I'll talk to him about it later.

Meanwhile, Ember was talking to Flame again. Flame? What are you growling at?

'Kuso! I didn't think that I was growling that loud.' $To be honest, Ember, I'm not entirely sure.$ And it was true, somewhat. Flame was acting on his instincts on a subconscious level. Only Yoko seemed to be able to decipher it, but only he and Kurama knew that.

Would you like to buy your outfit? It's up to you, I'm not gonna force you to.

He could hear the hope in her voice, despite her words. $It is loose, non-restrictive, and it flows well. I suppose I'll keep it, if only to better fit in here in this era.$

Yay! Hey Fox!

Yes?

Go ahead and get your outfit, if you want it. I'm sure your fan club will love it. She gave him an evil grin, indicating that she had indeed listened to her brother.

'I think that we'll be able to handle it.' So, where to next, Ember?

He immediately regretted asking this question, as an extremely evil smirk made it's way to her face. On seeing it, Kurama and Flame both thought the same thing: 'Uh-oh…'

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**Review, please. I really do appreciate it! Thank you all who read this story! I love you!**

**Stats:Words……4,426**

**Pages……8**

**Paragraphs……164**


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